Nick Clarke.
The controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer, has issued this statement.
"It is with utter sadness that I have to tell you that Nick Clarke - a R4 giant - died last night .
We had hoped that he would pull through after his operation last year - but it was not to be .
There will be many tributes throughout the day. They will be merited. He was utterly outstanding in every way.
Barbara ( his wife ) has asked for no flowers.
The news will be announced at 13.00 on The World at One - as expressly wished by Barbara ."
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He always did a smashing job and the fact he made the main headline of his lunchtime programme and got a serious Eddie Mair tribute proves what an outstanding talent he was.
With thanks for all that he gave
An inspiring man with an inspiring story. He will be missed.
In sadness and with condolences for all his friends
Shanthi
ed
I've just heard the announcement on the radio. Extremely sad. He was a great broadcaster. I shall miss him.
Mary
I've only just listened again to his audio diary.
It was one of the most moving things I have heard in a long time.
I hope someone will take the condolences of all of we froggers to Barbara and his children - he will be sorely missed
Very sad news, I heard the documentary he made about his fight with cancer, and how lovely it was to hear him back in harness.
We as well as Radio 4 will miss him greatly
** Ah Nooo **
I'm going to go and have a quiet moment somewhere. Nick Clarke was a broadcasting giant and seemed to the unenlightened like me to be an example for radio journalists to aspire to.
I'd wondered, following his well-trailed return to WatO a while back, where he had got to. I'd heard him on one or two other things, which seemed to indicate that his recovery was progressing, although perhaps not as swiftly as hoped.
The original news of his diagnosis said, without equivocation, that his cancer was not life-threatening.
So to say that I am stunned doesn't even begin to comprehend how I feel.
I know that this will be lost amidst many other similar posts today, but his extended family, both at home and in the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, have my fullest sympathy for their personal loss.
Si.
:-{
A very sad day for Radio 4. He will leave a hole in The World At One that will be very difficult to fill. My thoughts are with his wife and family...
I am shocked and saddened. He really was a giant of broadcasting, and I’m sure all our thoughts go out to his wife and children.
Sad news. Nick's voice was a comforting and authoritative presence during my working day - and he would have been one of my choices in the "people you would invite to dinner" debate. I send my best wishes to his family and colleagues.
Thank you Eddie for your thoughtful comment on this sad loss to the world of radio. If you are able to, I'd be grateful if you could pass my thoughts of sympathy on to Nick's brave and supportive wife Barbara. One small consolation is that he would not have heard the overnight innings score from Australia, let's hope he has some plan to scupper them from the "other side".
I heard the programme Nick and his wife made earlier in the year about his illness - in fact I listened to it twice because I found it so moving. So brave and so normal, and yet he will be so difficult to replace.
As usual I took my lunchbreak at 1pm, so that I could listen to The World at One, and was very sad to hear the news.
I had hoped, following his return to work, that the worst of his illness was over.
I always enjoyed Nick's interviews. No impatience, no snide comments - just intelligent, informed questions.
RIP
Indeed a giant in Broadcasting terms. He will be sadly missed on the airwaves but even more by those who knew him well. I am terribly sorry for their loss - and ours.......
Like Simon (1) I had wondered where Nick had got to, then this sad news.
I'm sure others will more adequately express the loss to his family, to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ and broadcast journalism than I.
Sympathiy to all.
So, so, sad and sorry. Nothing else to say.
Nicks recent documentary about his illness was so very touching. To go through all that, then not to win the fight is tragically sad.
Auntie is crying again.... as are we all.
How very very sad. I don't know if you are able to pass these messages on to his family but if so please send very deepest sympathy from one very sad listener.
I always enjoyed his broadcasting, he had a wonderful voice and just the right level of empathy and probing interviews. I looked forward to hearing him on 'The World at One' (enough for me to tune in especially on my days off work) or when he did 'Any Questions'. It's a very sad day for Radio 4. I cannot believe we won't be hearing his voice again.
With many thoughts for all his family & friends
GMx
It was only yesterday that I suddenly realised I had not heard Nick's voice for some time since his part-time return and hoped it did not mean his cancer had returned.
It's not often I shed tears for someone I have never met, but Nick was one of those rare broadcasters who you felt you actually knew and who you could trust always to ask the questions you wanted asked. The audio diary he and his wife made was quite exceptional.
Thank you Eddie and colleagues for putting together such a moving radio tribute, and please pass my deep sympathy to his family.
I am stunned, I thought he was back, and was really concentrating on how he was going to manage without his legs. He was even brusque with callers to Any Answers who welcomed him back, as if he was moving on with his life and so should we, but I hope he really knew how much we were happy to have him there. I had no idea he was so ill.
His brilliance has been described so much better than than I can articulate, but I shall miss his voice, and I am so sad his children will grow up without him.
So sad. Such a loss. He was one of those radio greats (yourself included, dear Eddie) who make Radio 4 the natural place for us to be. A truly fine broadcaster and we froggers will miss him.
What a shock.
I, too, was comfortably presuming his recovery was going well, having heard his lovely voice quite a few times since the operation.
The audio diary was a masterpiece, and I will always remember the way both he and Barbara 'confided' to the tape without the other knowing ... it was clear that Nick's relationship with his listeners was a real one.
My best wishes and respect to Barbara and the family. And also to those who worked with him.
Fifi
A great loss to the world of broadcasting, he will indeed by sadly missed. Like others I send my sincere condolences to his family
As others have said, this is shocking news. I thought - and hoped - that he was all clear.
He'll be much missed.
That is sad, I've only just heard. Nick was a great broadcaster, I liked to listen to Round Britain Quiz just to hear his distinctive, sane, reasonable voice amongst the confusion and oddity of the programme. Will be much missed.
I was in a meeting and only just heard the news about Nick Clarke. I am very saddened by the news and shocked as, like others, I thought that he was on the road to recovery.
I'm sure that Eddie or whoever is appropriate will pass on our condolencesto his wife and children, this must be a time of such sorrow for them.
He was a man of great courage and honesty, we could with more of them not fewer.
Dear Eddie,
This is the first time I have ever written to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, but after listening to today's 'The World at One' extended programme, and learning of Nick Clark's death, I feel compelled to do so.
As a university student of Politics and International Relations, I had come, with many others I am sure, to value the high standard of Nick Clarck's political reporting on Radio 4's 'The World at One'. His articulate rigour and sharp intellect made for compelling listening, as well as that beautiful, smooth gentlemanly tone.
His voice had become familiar to me, like a friend's, and I shall miss it. I am sad for his death, though grateful for the standard set by him for future generations of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ reporters.
My thoughts are with his family and all his friends and collegues at Radio 4.
It must be incredibly hard for you all on P.M. an the World at one who were friends as well as colleagues to do today.
Celebrate and move on. I feel knowing what little I know of the man, that might of been his wish.
Douglas Wright
Aged 104
I heard the news in a car park and wept. He was so good. My thoughts go to all of you who worked with him, you must be stunned and sad.
What a joy though that we had the honour and privilege of knowing him.
I'd like to echoe Anne P in her sentiments-exactly how I feel.Stopped in my tracks when I came in at lunchtime to hear Eddie's sensitive report.
Will miss you Nickxx
Sad, sad news.
I'd like to echoe Anne P.-my sentiments exactly.I was stunned when I came home to hear Eddie's moving report about Nick at lunchtime
We'll miss you ,Nick xx
Nick was one of the rare presenters who didn't go out of his way to look/sound impressive to the audience - he didn't need to, he WAS that impressive. He was one of the few media types that I truly trusted and I am just overcome with sadness at this news.
Condolences to his family and all his work colleagues/friends who must miss him greatly. I can only hope that you all pay the greatest tribute to him by maintaining his standards of broadcasting.
I was in my car when the news broke. I could scarcely continue my journey, and would have stopped if conditions had allowed.
Nick Clarke was an amazing man, and I'm sure he was a great colleague. I'm still fighting back tears. I sat, just as soon as I could pull over, and just listened and cried. How brave, how unassuming, and now how much he will be missed.
His wife and chldren must be devastated, as are we, his Radio 4 listeners, and you, his colleagues.
Thank you, Eddie, for bravely recording your tribute to him this lunchtime.
So very very sorry.
Just read the news above. Very sad, and sorry for all you who knew him well. I especially liked him on "Any Questions?"
RIP
Douglas (27), Sir,
Surely you must be the eldest on this blog. If you can make it, I'm sure you'd be welcome on The Beach, of which more can be learned at
Respect!
ed (a mere lad at 65)
Am shocked and saddened.
Like so many others, I listened in admiration (and tears) to the diary Nick and his wife put together around the time of his diagnosis and operation. He really did sound like a lovely man.
Such a dreadful pity - for him, and for his family and his friends. And all the rest of us, too. Who didn't know him even though we welcomed him into our homes and our lives. I shall miss that voice.
None of us could know
that the strapline for today
Would be so poignant.
Eddie, you're right - he was indeed Radio 4 personified. We're all of us, the poorer for his passing.
Good point well made, I
Kew. I wish I was as good
at words as you are.
I don't usually feel anything particular when a well known person dies, but I am taken aback by my sadness today, and shall notice Nick's absence from the airwaves keenly.
Not only will he be missed, but he will not be forgotten, and I hope that may be of some solace to his family.
Shall we have a wake on the beach later?
Good point well made, I
Kew. I wish I was as good
at words as you are.
Good grief (is there such a thing as good grief? Possibly). I have become like a bus: a long silence then two of me come along at once.
Two replies to Mr I Kew, and a LadyP has posted as well. She isn't me, but that's not to say she's not a perfectly valid person in her own right.
I now feel like Mr Clarke and Eric's story about his vegetarian sausage sandwich. A perfectly reasonable person normally, able to calmly keep on message (in spite of splitting the odd infinitive) but capable of Irrational Wrath When Crossed.
Other split infinitives are available.
xx
LadyPen
Lady Penelope
So glad to have my confusion regarding Lady Penelope and Lady P resolved. I have responded to a couple of your postings but calling you Lady P.- my apologies.
Your full title will be used in future.
But wait. Do Lady Penelope and Lady P both post their thoughts twice. I may have to lie down.
I still like "contains moderate scepticism"
Such sad news. Thank you Eddie for the lovely tribute earlier to-day. He meant so much to so many, what a wonderful man he was, yet I didn't know him...but we felt we did somehow...the power of Nick and the radio!
Please tell his family how much we thought of him, and how I wish their pain could be eased.
I was so sad to hear of the death of such a man. I too, listened to the programme made by Nick Clark and his wife, and shared their hope for the future.
It's one day at a time now for his family and friends. My condolences to you all.
Never done this before - this blog thing . I enjoyed Nick Clarke . He made me want to listen and involve myself in whatever the subject - he was special. Very sad.
I thought 'Contains moderate scepticism' was quite good too, RobbieDoJohn. And your appreciation makes up for the number of times it hasn't been used as the strapline :-)
I normally only say something once (unless the cat's about to be sick, in which case I shout a lot. In duplicate. Fortissimo).
xx
LadyPen
PS
This is typical froggishness, isn't it? We can stay 'on topic' for just so long (which doesn't diminish the strength of feeling we have for that topic, because it may be HUGE), but then we have to leaven it. A bit like Eric did with his tribute to Mr Clarke this evening, blessim.
PPS Now am going to see if I can send this only once. If it appears twice, it wasn't me. Onnist.
Sally Anne (46) you got it in one.
Welcome to the blog.
(That originally came out as 'welcome to the bolg'. Not being able to spel doesn;t make me a bad person . . .)
My apologies if I'm wrong, but I think it was Eddie Mair who talked either in the Blog or his Newsletter a short time ago about the special door-opening that had been installed for Nick Clarke to assist his entry to the studio. It was funny and respectful in equal measure, befitting both broadcasters.
I only heard the news of Nick Clarke's passing in PM this evening. On Listen Again I heard the full one hour WaTO programme. I’m very grateful that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ took this step to show their regard and respect for an outstanding journalist and broadcaster. Although some others will fill his various roles, he himself will remain irreplaceable.
When I heard Feedback was doing an edition interviewing Jonathan Dimbleby about "Any Questions", I felt like writing in saying the best thing he could do would be to stand down in favour of Nick Clarke. I never got the time to send that email, and now the sentiment is useless.
Oddly enough, I learnt the news from the PM newsletter, which mysteriously turned up very promptly today, but seen by me too late to listen to WatO - so missed that tribute. Yesterday, I had frogged about how I heard NC pronounce the acronym for WatO - "What-ho!" - but then I am somewhat deaf.
R: RobbieDo (49) Yes It was Eddie on the Blog I'm sure!
Either way I heard it as well and it made me laugh. I also saw a lovely recent photo in the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ in House magazine with Nick and some of the staff when he started working again after his leg amputation, everyone looked so happy. It was all such a sad surprise.
Eddie, the tribute was beautifully read out, and, God forbid anything should happen, you would, in your unique way, be equally irreplaceable.
RobbieDoJohn - I think I may just have hit the wrong button, causing a message to be sent before it was finished.
What it was suppOSED to say was that I remember the door-opener thingy, and thinking that if I was as nice a person as I hope I am I could find a way of reacting to that kind of a situation in a similar way.
Not that the Lord Muir is a god or anything (perish the thought) . . . just that he could be any of us.
(I fell madly in love with a broadcaster once, simply through his voice on the radio. And he with me. When I grow up, I'll write a book about it. It was neither Lord Muir nor Mr Clarke . . . but voices can be hugely powerful. As can the intimacy they suggest.)
I wish I knew where the beach was. I really need a lie-down in a hammock.
xx
LadyPen
Lady Penelope
The new Beach is here:
/blogs/pm/2006/11/welcome_to_the_new_beach.shtml
and when you get there - it takes a while - you have to say more about:
"I fell madly in love with a broadcaster once, simply through his voice on the radio. And he with me"
It was such a pleasure to hear Nick back on the radio this summer. However good his colleagues, WatO was not right without him. And, as so many have said, his programme, with his wife, about his treatment was deeply moving. I heard the news on PM and feel a great sense of loss.
Nick's family must be very proud of all the good things that are, deservedly, being said of him.
I heard Eddie's tribute last night on the Listen Again function. It was incredibly moving and I was a blubbering wreck by the end of it. The dignity and strength that Nick had was utterly tremendous.
As for carrying on Nick's legacy, the only person who is in the same league for Nick's standard of interviewing and presenting is our own Lord Mair. Both quiet, insistant and forth-right. I only wish that the Paxman or (dare I say?) John Humphrys would listen and learn how people should be interviewed rather than simply trying to score points and make their interviewees sound idiotic.
Apologies for sending my thoughts twice-mustt have hit the wrong butto n or something.
Am sure Nick would have understood....
ps this will probably be my last blog-seems like there ain't r oom for the two of us on this there beach.Lovely to talk to you-am learning fast!
Byeeee xxx
Hear, hear, Belinda (55)! Of late I have noticed an increasingly self-satisfied and supercilious tone in Mr Humphrys' questioning style which is just beginning to irritate me.
What is it about Eddie's voice, do you think? I detect a wry smile behind it which makes me feel he doesn't take himself too seriously. And Nick's voice was stylish, elegant, never aggressive and ugly.
O, the magic of radio in the hands (or should I say, voices) of the masters!
I'm with Belinda and Sara.
xx
ed
I agree Sara and Belinda (55 & 56), very few really have the voice, charm, elegance and the demeanour to be able to deal with difficult interviewees, contorversial topics etc etc the way that these chaps have to and fewer still are really able to truly carry it off without sounding pompous, or as was said, like they are trying to score points. As many have said Nick Clarke was one - and our Eddie is indeed another. What is it about his voice? He has a real warm, soothing, sincere tone but with that hint of humour.......and of course he is a Scot! For me it makes the nightmare journey home at the end of an equally nightmarish day a real pleasure.
Eddie, you did a great job of making a tribute to Nick last night. It must have been tough, but it was appreciated.
LadyP, why must you go???? We welcome all here except the uncouth (and we give them room for a while). But maybe you meant that you would come back with a different name.
Lady P (56), who is not Lady Penolope, there's more than enough room for you here and on the beach. You might want a slighty change - perhaps "The Lady P" to save confusion - after all there are enough Johns here (myself, John H, RobbieDo being a John....).
Do join us at the beach. I'm sure glasses will be raised again tonight for Nick.
How long have I got?
Thank you-may i give it some thought?
How would I get to the beach if.........?
xxx
Uncouth - as long as you remain couth. Or couthy.
About Nick - you've all said it already; a great broadcaster and a courageous survivor - I had no idea he was so ill again, having heard his audio diary.
I was moved this morning listening to the Today programme and hearing Jim's choked voice during his tribute and ?was it Sarah? sniffing back tears.
Hi guys.
I have no probs changing my name. Lady P, please don't feel you have to go!
FrancesO (64): yes, I caught the end of the Today tribute as well. There was definitely sniffing.
xx
LadyPen
Uncouth,
As long as you wish. After all you understand the word!!
Lady P (64), if you look back to entry (53), a direct link to the beach has been posted.
If you're quick, you'll catch my barbequing tonight, and LadyPen (formerly Lady Penelope) - sorry of mis-spelling earlier - is also there.
Mexican, Aberdeen angus beefburgers etc plus good selection of wine and beer. Glasses raised to Nick Clarke again tonight.
That reassuring voice was one of those I have so missed since I moved to Italy. [Yes, I can get my beloved R4 on the net but it is not the same as having it on all the time as the background to your life. I miss your voice, too, Eddie, but that's not for this post.]] I knew Nick was ill because I subscribe to "Good Housekeeping" and there was an article by him in the November issue. He was so courageous to urge men to go to the doctor early if they found anything amiss. My heart goes out to his wife and children and to all his colleagues there who must miss him so much.
Now here's a funny co-incidence - or is it.
Remember the clip posted (I think by jonnie) on the blog a few days ago of the vehicles trying to tailgate Manchester buses to beat the automatic bollards?
Well now a clip featured on today's ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news page covers the item. Chicken or egg - did the blog lead the way?
(hope the link works - I couldn't find a way to cut and paste it).
I'm with Belinda, Sara and everyone else who's said they are with Belinda and Sara on the Clarke-Mair vs. Humphrys-Paxman interview style thing too. I don't dislike either of the latter pair, but they do irritate and get rather 'up themselves' pretty often. I think they may have spent too much time believing the hype about themselves. Not taking onself too seriously is certainly a good quality in a polotical interviewer.
Shall we start a petition of some sort?
Is it possible to obtain a full transcript of Nick's diary which he wrote about his cancer/operatioon and post op experiences? Some papers have published abridged versions of course.
Thank you.
Lovely extract from the funeral.
Thanks Eddie.
Mary
I wonder if the WATO, PM, etc, tributes to Nick Clarke could be made available as a download or podcast?
Several days after Nick died, the loss of this wonderful broadcaster is really sinking in. I'd love to have some recordings of Nick at his brilliant best to listen to in future.
Can these be provided via the "Listen again" service, please?
Thank goodness I downloaded "Fighting to be Normal", which is, of course, still available on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ web-site.
As Joni Mitchell sang, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone".
Thank you, Nick. You were indeed a National Treasure!